N.E. bridge near airport facing delays, says alderman

Remediation work necessary, says mayor

Construction problems have caused a significant delay to a northeast bridge near the airport.

The bridge, between the airport and Harvest Hills, was supposed to be completed last year, says Ald. Jim Stevenson.

He says the project is still facing delays and might only be completed at the end of this year.

"I'm just concerned about the delay, I'm not concerned about the end quality of the product. It's just a matter of time now and the weather, to get that done."

He says the problem involves the bridge deck.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi said although more work is needed before the bridges can open, there is no truth to rumours that one of the 96th Avenue bridges will have to be demolished.

"I am not — thank you — a structural engineer, but my understanding is that some remediation work needs to be done, and on one of the bridges in particular a fair bit of remediation work needs to be done, but I have not heard words like [demolish]," he said.

Nenshi said the city signed a fixed-price contract so its costs won't go up because of the delays. At least a portion of the project will open this summer, he said.

The bridge will connect the airport to Harvest Hills. At this point, it doesn't look like the delay will cost the city any money, says Ald. Jim Stevenson. (Google Maps)